Length measurements are of importance in many fields. In the manufacturing industry, reliable measurements lead to reduced rejection of products and part-products and thus to gains in time and profit. Accurate length measurements are also of social importance. In various sport disciplines for example, the exact distance covered is important to allow time recordings at different locations to be compared. Additionally, length measurements are of great importance for specific law enforcement and for scientific research.

Length measurements comprise the measurement of distances and the determination of the sizes of objects in one, two or three dimensions. The shape of an object can be measured too, for example the roundness of a ball or the flatness of a surface. For developments in worlds including those of medicine and nanotechnology there is demand for ever more accurate measurements at ever decreasing scales and of ever more complex shapes.

VSL’s services in the field of length measurement are employed in the process industry, in laboratories and calibration labs, by government bodies, in precision engineering and the semiconductor industry. Research institutions also make use of our specialised knowledge for developments at the micro- and nanometre level. Also, VSL works in a European context on different research projects.

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VSL’s extensive knowledge and experience in the dimensional measurements field is regularly requested for specific applications by clients including manufacturers of precision components, designers of mechatronic systems, and research institutions.

The measurement results from VSL as an independent party are internationally recognised and thus form a strong underpinning of the performance of your product for customers and other interested parties. We are glad to employ our knowledge and facilities in order to achieve solutions together with you in fields including the following:

Characterisation of displacement platforms and measurement systems. Mapping out deviations and comparing newly-developed displacement platforms and displacement measurement systems to specifications, so that you obtain a dependable picture of their performance. In one direction or with the full six degrees of freedom.

High-accuracy product measurements for the testing of prototypes, quality control of small batches of high-grade components, or for calibration of internal reference objects for example.

Traceability at nanometre scale. For the very smallest objects in the semiconductor industry, nanotechnology and life sciences, VSL offers measurement solutions on the nanometre scale, making use of traceable atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Development and validation of measurement solutions. This could be either for quality control afterwards or in-line measurements in the production process.

Determination of measurement uncertainty and tracking down measurement errors. Establishment of significant measurement results and the preparation of an uncertainty budget. We can also advise on how you can improve accuracy and help you to improve your grip of the measurement process.

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To ensure optimum quality of their measurements, laboratories frequently hold in-house quality checks. However, over time deviations in the measurement equipment can occur that cannot be detected by these checks. VSL regularly organises (international) interlaboratory comparisons, through which your laboratory’s measurement results are compared anonymously to those from VSL as primary standards laboratory and those from other participating laboratories.

VSL organises such interlaboratory comparisons annually in the length field for matters including gauge blocks.

Need for a different Interlaboratory comparison?Do you require another type of interlaboratory comparison? Then please let us know. We can assess the demand. Possibly there are other laboratories that would like to participate and then we can organise a interlaboratory comparison. It is also possible to organise a bilateral comparison with VSL.

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Recalibration quotation

Reliable measurements form an essential part of the quality control of incoming and outgoing products. VSL possesses extensive facilities for the calibration of measurement equipment and the accurate measurement of an object: length, diameter, shape or angle, from more than a metre down to nanometre level, and in 1D, 2D or 3D. VSL’s certificates are internationally recognized and guarantee worldwide acceptance of your products.

Calibration of measurement equipment and precision spheresInstruments must be calibrated regularly to obtain reliable measurement results and to prevent deviations. VSL supplies the most accurate calibration of all your measurement instruments for length, such as laser distance meters, measurement benches, altimeters, coordinate measuring machines and gauge blocks. Laser interferometers can be calibrated directly against the standard laser, and the counting mechanism and the compensation system are also included in this. Moreover, VSL is internationally authoritative in the measurement of precision spheres (reference spheres).

In the laboratory or on locationProduct measurements can be conducted with the greatest achievable accuracy for companies in the precision engineering industry. We offer extremely accurate measurements in VSL’s laboratories, but VSL can also conduct measurements on location. This makes it possible to measure immovable or difficult-to-move objects accurately too.

Micro and nano rangeTo achieve uncertainties of a few hundred nanometres or less, VSL possesses a micro-CMM, the Zeiss F25, which is fully traceable to the primary standard. With this tactile instrument, product characteristics can be measured down to sub-µm level. For measurements at the nanometre scale, VSL makes use of a so called scanning probe microscope (SPM). Besides this, we have a specially-developed facility for mapping out the behaviour of extremely sensitive displacement sensors.

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Various manufacturers of measurement instruments calibrate these in their own calibration facilities. They do this to check that the newly-produced instruments comply with the requirements, to check stability, or for periodic recalibration. Of course, the purchaser of the measurement instrument must have faith in the facility and so the measurement uncertainty is important.

Test facility performanceVSL offers an VSL CMC Certification. CMC stands for Calibration and Measurement Capabilities. In this, only the performance of the test facility is considered. You receive a certificate containing the calibration facility’s measurement uncertainty and a manual about traceability. With this certificate, you can demonstrate that the measurement uncertainty has been verified by an authoritative and independent national metrology institute (NMI).

Geometry

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All VSL’s measurements are traceable to the metre, which is defined as the 1/299,792,458th part of the distance light travels in vacuum in one second. The Dutch ‘metre’ is a special iodine-stabilised Helium Neon laser: the standard laser. A distance measured is directly or indirectly compared to the wavelength of a laser interferometer whose frequency is in turn compared to that of the standard laser. For the micro and nano ranges, VSL possesses a special micro-CMM (coordinate measuring machine) and a scanning probe microscope (SPM) among other things.